AN Adelaide couple returning from their honeymoon narrowly avoided being on the Malaysia Airlines plane that was shot down over the Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.

No South Australians were believed to be among the 29 Australians who died on the doomed flight.

Simone La Posta told ABC Radio she and her husband Juan Lovel twice came close to being on the fatal flight.

“We flew into KL from Amsterdam on the MH-17 flight, the day before, so it’s a bit surreal to think that, you know, one day later and I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you right now,” she said.

“We originally had our itinerary to be on that flight, but then we changed it thinking we’d be too jet-lagged for work on Monday.

“Then there was another chance we could’ve been on that flight — when we got to Schiphol Airport on Wednesday to check in, they’d overbooked that flight, so we were on standby and we only found out literally a minute before the boarding closed that we were actually going to be leaving that day.”

Ms La Posta said passengers on her flight into Adelaide only became aware of the tragedy when they landed.

“I’ve got some really close girlfriends from Holland who messaged me while I was in the air, so I don’t know how soon after takeoff it happened, but it seemed the Malaysia Airlines staff didn’t know anything,” she said.

“They did not seem to have the slightest clue, we actually mentioned it to one flight attendant and she seemed genuinely shocked.”

Ms La Posta said the concern shown by her own family and friends hit home the devastation that would be felt by the victims’ relatives and acquaintances.

“Our last photo on Facebook was a happy one of us on bikes out the front of a windmill and you sort of think how many other people would have had just innocent photos like that not knowing it was their last time?” she said.

Mr Jovel said he was relieved to be back on Australian soil.

“It’s surreal, just glad to be home ... at the moment, seeing all the images it’s a bit hard to process it really,” he said.

Malaysia Airlines flight shot down in Ukraine
4:36

A Malaysian Airlines flight with 27 Australians on board has been shot down in eastern Ukraine.

Sky News

18 Jul 2014

News

Samuel Newbold, of the Barossa Valley, said he heard the news after landing on a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore.

His stepdaughter was among 30 from the Barossa doing volunteer work in Cambodia. The news shocked and scared him and his wife.

“Particularly because my wife’s daughter (his stepdaughter) is flying in on Malaysia Airlines today — (my wife) was in tears within five seconds.

“She is settling down now but it was still very, very scary when we first heard of it.

“If you were the CEO of Malaysia Airlines you would be just devastated.

“I haven’t heard many details — it was just (another) passenger opened the phone (after landing) and came up with a news flash about it. No one said anything on the plane, it was when we pulled up. The first we heard of it was virtually two minutes before we departed.

“It’s absolutely devastating. I think everybody was rocked from the (disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370) and this is just going to make it worse.

“Even I felt when I was looking out the (plane) window this morning that it was nice to see land.’’

Australia demands full MH17 inquiry
4:07

Australia has demanded an inquiry into the crash of the Malaysia Airlines flight in the Ukraine.

Sky News

18 Jul 2014

News

His wife said another passenger told her of the crash.

“I found out when we landed because another passenger opened a phone and she said ‘look, a Malaysia Airlines plane has crashed,” she said.

The woman, who did not want to give her name, said she was in a panic because her daughter was on a Malaysia Airlines plane from Cambodia to Kuala Lumpur at the time.

“I just felt sick, I’m still shaking now,” she said.

“My daughter is coming back today on Malaysia from Cambodia, I’m texting her now.”

The woman said the tragedy would not deter her from flying in future.

“No, we fly all the time, we are going away again in November,” she said.

Adelaide woman Banjit Kaur was shaken after seeing off her sister Narinbar on a Singapore Airlines flight this morning.

“If it was me I wouldn’t be going, I would get off all the airlines,” Ms Kaur said.

Torrens Park man Rod Klau said he only learned of the tragedy after coming out of Customs at Adelaide Airport and said he was reminded of the disappearance of Malaysian flight MH370.

“I feel sorry for Malaysia Airlines, to be honest, because neither of these have been its fault. It’s a Ukraine problem and if the people who are routing planes are stupid enough to fly somewhere near dangerous zones, they should be rounded up and shot,” Mr Klau said.

“I don’t feel any less safe flying from Singapore to Australia ... but if they fly anywhere near the Ukraine they’re crazy.’’

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